Capitol Updates

Thursday, March 12, 2026

Spread the News! NSEA members may click here to sign up and receive our Capitol Update newsletter to provide you with the latest information on education legislation and funding. You may also forward this to the personal email address of your NSEA colleagues and encourage them to sign up. 

Your Voice at the Capitol -- No Travel Required

NSEA members from every corner of Nebraska deserve to be heard at the Legislature. If you have a classroom story or legislative concern you want your senator to know about, but can’t make the trip to Lincoln, we’re here to help. Share a summary of your story with us (click here), and we’ll coordinate with fellow NSEA members nearer to the State Capitol to meet with your senator in person, deliver your message, and bring back a response. Submit a one-sentence headline, a paragraph or two describing the issue, and the outcome you’d like to see. We’ll take it from there. Your experiences matter, and your story can help shape policy and strengthen our collective voices. 

Right now, several bills under consideration could have a significant impact on Nebraska’s public schools and students. We encourage members to share their perspectives with senators. Current priorities include: 

• Support FA1045 to LB1071: would remove the $3.5M private school voucher provision currently within LB1071, the state’s mid-biennium budget bill.  

• Oppose LB867 with AM2270: would disrupt the education of youth in state custody by requiring transfers to different state-run facilities. 

• Oppose LB1219: would limit the amount of property taxes that may be levied by school districts to 2%, stifling growth.  

• Oppose LB1050: would retain third graders who cannot read at a level determined by NDE, leading to stigma and increased class sizes.   

If you have experiences or perspectives related to any of these issues, or others affecting your classroom, please share them (click here). Your voice helps lawmakers understand the real-world impact their decisions have upon students and educators.  

Budget Battle Heats Up: Private School Voucher Stays Amid $301M Shortfall -- Contact Senators NOW

On Monday, the Nebraska Legislature debated LB1071—the mainline appropriations bill funding state government operations through the biennium ending June 30, 2027—on general file. Sen. Tom Brandt introduced amendment AM2500 to remove the $3.5 million private school voucher “bridge” program that had been inserted by the Appropriations Committee. The amendment sought to eliminate this funding, which is administered through the Department of Labor rather than the Department of Education, thereby preventing public dollars from flowing to private schools with minimal oversight or accountability standards. 

AM2500 failed with 23 Aye votes, 17 Nay votes, and 9 senators present but not voting. The amendment needed 25 Aye votes to be adopted. Senators voting Aye were Eliot Bostar, Tom Brandt, John Cavanaugh, Machaela Cavanaugh, Stan Clouse, Danielle Conrad, Wendy DeBoer, Myron Dorn, George Dungan, John Fredrickson, Dunixi Guereca, Jana Hughes, Megan Hunt, Margo Juarez, Fred Meyer, Jason Prokop, Dan Quick, Jane Raybould, Merv Riepe, Victor Rountree, Ashlei Spivey, Tanya Storer, and Dave Wordekemper. Those voting Nay were Bob Andersen, John Arch, Christy Armendariz, Rob Clements, Rob Dover, Ben Hansen, Brian Hardin, Teresa Ibach, Kathleen Kauth, Loren Lippincott, Glen Meyer, Mike Moser, Dave Murman, Rita Sanders, Tony Sorrentino, Jared Storm, and Paul Strommen. Senators present but not voting were Beau Ballard, Carolyn Bosn, Barry DeKay, Bob Hallstrom, Rick Holdcroft, Mike Jacobson, Dan Lonowski, Terrell McKinney, and Brad von Gillern. 

This narrow defeat echoes last week’s troubling reversal by the Appropriations Committee, which scaled back Governor Pillen’s original $7 million proposal but still inserted the $3.5 million voucher allocation into LB1071. The move revives a similar previously repealed private school voucher program, and this effort by the governor directly challenges the clear will of Nebraska voters. Senators have multiple compelling reasons to support Senator Brandt’s new Amendment FA1045 and remove the funding when the bill reaches select file. 

First, Nebraska voters decisively rejected diverting public education dollars to private schools when they passed the NSEA-backed Support Our Schools referendum in November 2024 by a strong statewide margin. This ballot measure demonstrated broad bipartisan and geographic support, from urban centers to rural communities, affirming that taxpayer funds must strengthen the public system serving the vast majority of students. Upholding this voter mandate prevents the dangerous precedent of overriding ballot-box decisions on core fiscal and education policy. 

Second, the state confronts a crushing revenue shortfall now approaching $301 million, which includes $18.4 million in locked-in cuts to special education. School districts are legally required to provide these mandated services, forcing them to raise local property taxes to backfill the lost state aid. These hikes disproportionately burden fixed-income families, seniors, and rural homeowners already stretched thin, while public schools face larger class sizes and reduced programming—making any private school subsidy especially unjustifiable during such widespread fiscal pain. 

Third, the governor’s claim that the $3.5 million is merely a one-time stop-gap to avoid displacing private school students does not hold up. Private schools successfully operated for decades without state vouchers prior to 2023, and they retain flexibility to adjust tuition, enrollment, or seek increased private donations during any brief interim. The federal tax credit program Nebraska joined in September 2025 will deliver education aid up to $1,700 per donor starting in 2027 with zero state general funds required, while numerous existing charitable foundations, church scholarships, and community funds already support private and homeschool families without public money. Families also have the seamless, no-cost option of transitioning to high-quality public schools that provide comprehensive services, including special education. 

Finally, Nebraska’s scholarship-granting organizations lack meaningful accountability for voucher dollars received. Tax filings for the Opportunity Scholarships of Nebraska group funded under the prior LB753 show that in 2023-24, only $9,553 went to actual student scholarships while $257,879 was spent on advertising and $4,627 on travel—highlighting wasteful diversion from education. Unlike public schools, which face rigorous state and federal performance reporting, these organizations operate without outcome metrics or audits, risking fraud and inefficiency with scarce taxpayer resources and setting a precedent for misuse during a severe budget crisis. 

CALL TO ACTION: It is imperative that you contact your senator immediately! With Senator Brandt’s amendment FA1045 now filed to strip the $3.5 million voucher funding ahead of select file debate expected Tuesday, March 17, NSEA members must act immediately. Call and email your senators before Tuesday to demand support for FA1045 and insist that LB1071 keep every public dollar dedicated to strengthening public schools for all Nebraska students. Your voices in these final votes will protect voter intent and prioritize the children who rely on our public education system. Contact your senator today! (click here) 

Fight Continues Against LB867 After Capitol Rally Highlights Risks to Youth and Educators

Earlier this week, NSEA sounded the alarm about LB867, the Health and Human Services Committee priority bill that was dramatically expanded when provisions of LB1013 were amended into it by AM2270. What began as a narrow proposal related to gender designation policies in youth facilities has evolved into a sweeping restructuring of Nebraska’s youth rehabilitation system. The bill is now awaiting debate on General File and could come up for discussion in the Legislature within the next two weeks, raising serious concerns among educators, child-advocacy organizations, and public employees about the safety and stability of Nebraska youth in state custody. 

The proposal would significantly alter how education is delivered to young people in detention or treatment facilities. Under the measure, students in custody—some as young as 11—would be shifted away from full Rule 10 public school accreditation standards and instead placed under the far more limited Rule 18 interim program requirements. School districts would then be required to provide virtual instruction for these youth, creating a substantial unfunded mandate for districts already facing financial pressures, including proposed reductions in state support for special education. The changes would also directly affect more than 70 NSEA educators who currently provide in-person instruction in these facilities. 

Concerns about the bill intensified during a Capitol press conference and rally on March 10, where NSEA joined Voices for Children in Nebraska, Nebraska Association of Public Employees (NAPE/AFSCME Local 61), and the Education Rights Council to warn lawmakers about the consequences of the proposal. Speakers highlighted provisions within amendment AM2270 that would trigger a rapid reorganization of Nebraska’s youth facilities. The plan could relocate youth currently at the Youth Rehabilitation and Treatment Center in Kearney to the Nebraska Correctional Youth Facility in Omaha, move girls from Hastings to Kearney, transfer teens from the Whitehall psychiatric facility to Hastings, and relocate some youth from NCYF to the state’s adult Reception and Treatment Center in Lincoln. 

Advocates warned that the compressed timeline for these moves—potentially beginning as early as July—creates significant risks. The state would need to relocate more than 100 youth while simultaneously hiring and training new staff, as many current employees are unlikely to move across the state. Such disruption threatens the therapeutic environments designed to support rehabilitation and could interrupt educational progress, delay graduation, and disrupt IEP services for students with special needs. NSEA President Tim Royers emphasized that students in state custody deserve stability, qualified educators, and meaningful classroom instruction—not a last-minute restructuring that weakens standards and displaces the teachers who serve them. 

CALL TO ACTION: With debate on LB867 expected soon, NSEA members are urged to contact their state senator and ask them to oppose the bill and remove the relocation provisions from the amendment. (click here) Senators need to hear directly from educators about the importance of maintaining strong educational standards, protecting the safety of youth in state custody, and ensuring that any changes to the system are transparent, deliberate, and focused on rehabilitation rather than rushed restructuring. Reach out to your senator today and make your voice heard before this bill reaches the floor. 

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